Travel To Cuba Still Not So Easy

Travel To Cuba Still Not So Easy
By Hannah Borenstein | March 12, 2015

As has always been the case, the relationship between the United States
and Cuba is, well, complicated. In early 2015, the United States and
Cuba agreed to exchange prisoners and begin conversations about the
embargo against Cuba established in 1962. One of the initial sanctions
eased at the beginning of the year was the ability for U.S. citizens to
be able to travel to Cuba. However, simply easing a sanction does not
make for easy travel to a country with which we've had long and
problematic relations with.

About a month after these sanction talks, CheapAir, the online travel
agency, announced that they were going to offer flights to Cuba on their
site. Within the first two hours after opening the offer, there were
over 10,000 search requests for flights. But since then, there has been
a lot of controversy over levels of deception displayed on the part the
travel agency.

It's still not possible to fly directly to Cuba. Layovers are
unavoidable, as is a one round-trip ticket. Thus, even if you are going
to make it to the esoteric island, you must not only lay over, but
transfer luggage, re-enter security, and often change airlines. CheapAir
is offering a service that does not ameliorate any of those problems,
but simply allows you to book both sets of flights with slightly less
hassle.

Further, even if you can buy tickets to get to Cuba, even if you have
the $1,000 (a current average rate from New York to Cuba), it's not
entirely clear just how welcome you will be when you get there. While
some sanctions have been eased or lifted, there are only 12 reasons for
permitted travel. These include: family visits, governmental visits,
journalistic purposes, research and professional meetings, educational
reasons, religious activities, performances and competition, "support
for the Cuban people," humanitarian projects, programs by private
foundations/research institutes and exportation/importation business
pursuits.

CheapAir does provide travelers with a list, in which they must check
off the reason(s) for booking a trip to Cuba. However, they're not at
all legally accountable. Upon arrival at the airport, even if CheapAir
thinks you're ok, the Cuban security officers may disagree.

Cuba has become something of an idyllic dream for many American
travelers – a forbidden, tropical land, that we've been deprived of.
Thus, when sanctions were eased it was only natural that people became
excited and immediately wanted to go. However, there are still a number
of caveats that one must overcome to get to this island of dreams.

Source: Travel To Cuba Still Not So Easy -
http://clapway.com/2015/03/12/travel-to-cuba-still-not-so-easy123/